Additive manufacturing is a process of manufacturing whereby a build piece is created by adding a manufacturing medium (e.g., a metal, plastics) to a part, as opposed to removing media to create the part. Examples of additive manufacturing include, but are not limited to, i) additive metal deposition manufacturing, where a laser or other heat source sinters or melts a metal medium; ii) stereolithography, where a light source cures a photopolymer; and iii) fused deposition modeling, where a thermoplastic is extruded and cools to harden.
Many instances of additive manufacturing call for support structures to be built with the build piece. The support structures may be used, for example, to support overhangs or other geometry in the build piece that is not supported by lower layers of the build piece's geometry.